Faction Do as I say not as I do.... Who let Damian teach? Paddie 101. (SJC)

[Starlin Rand]

Phalsi Drynchen

"In a cell? You think I'm jailbait or somethin'?" Starlin guffawed. "Lady, I just want somebody around to distract the wildlife while I run away in the opposite direction. Maybe you can stun them by throwing ice water in their face."

The kid followed along a few steps behind her. At first he sang a nonsensical folk song to entertain himself during the hike, but then the rocks, sun, and steep incline put a stop to his wilderness karaoke.

He paused in his ascent just long enough to look around them and get a good gauge of their location. They were roughly halfway up the mountain, and he couldn't see any of the other Padawans apart from Phalsi.

The sound of a twig crunching drew his attention. He turned and thought he saw something moving through the trees. Sweat trickled down his back as his eyes swept the landscape, searching for the thing. Was it a person? A bear or similar creature? Space Sasquatch?

More importantly, were they about to be attacked by said Space Sasquatches?

 

[Irridia Solensis]

"Caden, they call me Caden. We really going to do this? I'll give you one final chance to back out before we begin, because I honestly don't want to feel bad for whooping you."

Oh, he was cute, and he was Corellian...she'd recognize that smirk just about anywhere. Biting her lower lip she did give it a moment's thought, but only one. She'd issued the challenge in a moment of feistiness and she sure as hell wasn't going to back down now.

"Well, about that..." she began, fixing the chronometer to her wrist and pausing before taking it back off again and rubbing at the faintly scarred skin. She took a deep breath to keep herself centered and out of the dark place that loomed up and threatened to swallow her whole.

Not now...not now...focus...focus...

"...maybe you will, maybe you won't." she finished after what felt like a three millennium long pause to get a grip on herself. With any luck, no one had noticed, and she clung to the thought that she'd covered it up decently well this time. The chronometer ended up fastened to one of her backpack straps instead of her wrist, and she fussed with it a moment to ensure it was secure.

Slender fingers the hue of deep ocean water carefully smoothed out her tank top beneath the backpack straps. While her boots weren't the ideal footwear for running, they were at least rugged enough for the terrain. It was an uphill run, not a full-on climb, which was at least a little bit better in her estimation. Canting her head to the side, she gave Caden a once over before taking off on the path at a moderate clip.

This was going to be a slog, and she was going to regret this challenge.

Glancing over her shoulder, she couldn't help herself. "You coming, Caden?"

--------------------------------------
Caden Evesa | Mathieu Brion | Damian Starchaser | Subject 648 Slipknot
Starlin Rand | Seva Geroux | Phalsi Drynchen | Darcy Delan​

 

[Damian Starchaser]

Seven miles up, give or take. Eleven kilometers. Damian was making impressive time up the steepest incline breaking from the normal trails and heading directly up instead of the round about hiking trial.

Occasionally he’d hop or jump in a flipping motion over a piece of terrain blocking his path ducking under tree branches and skidding over large rocks. He didn’t expect the padawans to follow like this, but rather take the trail which was rocky and rough in its own way.

Still he kept up the pace, moving until reaching the top. Letting out a breath he focused on centering himself. Letting the force wash over him. It took a minute but he could feel the strength returning to him.

The skiff was at the top of the mountain and the droid was already setting up a tent. Damian pitched in and helped when they began to move hot plates underneath it. Pouring a glass of lemonade he smiled as he looked down the slope. The grill was still smoking and he began to transfer finished items to their places before placing more objects onto the grill and walking over to a nearby table he set up.

Pulling out a white cloth and placing it on the table he sat twelve glasses, all clean and immaculate. Besides them a basin of ice and a pitcher of ice and lemonade. Whenever the padawans got to the top there would be refreshments waiting for them. The food though, that would have to wait until after the training....

Damian opened the grill cover and let the scent waft down the mountain. For motivation. A smile crossed his face as he set up his lounge chair and sat down leaning back and sipping his beverage letting the sun tan his skin.

Seva Geroux | Phalsi Drynchen | Mathieu Brion | Caden Evesa | Subject 648 Slipknot | Darcy Delan | Ura Iolar | Starlin Rand

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

Starlin Rand

She side-eyed the boy, taking a measuring stare before laughing. "Yes. I do. But at least you are entertaining." She smirked and continued walking. The mention of ice water to the face made the smile grow. "If only I had a glass of water on me. I might scare it away and give it some morals."

They walked, he sang, she bobbed her head with the song. It was sad to hear him stop, but location had seen fit to that. Then, there was a sound to the side that made the younger one pause. She looked as well, wondering what had snapped a twig before putting both hands on a strap of the rucksack and preparing to spin and throw. Whatever it was, it was in for a rocky introduction.

 

[Caden Evesa]

He was mean.

It was something he knew, he liked having fun with people. He liked pushing people and proving that he could handle situations. This was one of those situations where he knew he'd be okay, he had a pretty good feeling that he'd beat the girl in the run up the hill.

Yet he was still going to let her believe, it was only fair.

She had challenged him knowing it was going to be slog, knowing it was going to be a challenge. He could only be fair to her and give her what looked like a chance of winning. He was a trained solider who ran every morning where as she... well he didn't know.

The young man assumed she probably wasn't a trained soldier who went for a run every day.

Caden was relaxed, he was used to running at a reasonable pace. Damian had put the challenge in place to ensure that they'd be tired by the top but honestly Caden wasn't entirely sure how tired he'd be. He assumed, perhaps incorrectly, perhaps not, that he would be in the best shape at least.

Except when compared to Damian. Damian would more than likely cheat and use the force to scale the mountain. Caden wouldn't have blamed him for doing it either, he was the teacher. He didn't need to overexert himself too early on.

He hung back when she set off. She had a pretty moderate pace to her, which surprised him slightly. She was making decent ground, to the point Caden let her make a fair bit of distance before she turned back and asked him if he was going to follow her.

Within seconds he was off at a pretty quick pace, closing the gap between them without too much of a problem. He slowed his pace once he was behind her, keeping to a similar pace as she was after allowing himself to get side by side with the Corellian.

"So, Irri, huh. What brings you to the Jedi, cause I'm near certain you have some sort of gift if you're here. You're not just here for the fun of it, are you? If you are, you're mental and my respect for you just shot right up tenfold"

Irridia Solensis | Damian Starchaser | Seva Geroux | Subject 648 Slipknot | Mathieu Brion | Starlin Rand | Darcy Delan | Ura Iolar

 

[Subject 648 Slipknot]

Tom Kovack

Slip was relived whenever the newcomer didn't really react to Slip's complete ineptitude at social stuff. He seemed fine by it, to be completely honest. Thank the Force Slip got someone who wasn't bothered by his complete awkwardness. At least this wouldn't be a total disaster.

"Well, Starlin is supposed to be showing me the ropes, but..."

Slip nodded. "He's busy flirting with someone. I don't understand people, how are you people just able to do something so... courageous? Just thinking about even trying to do that gives me heart palpitations. I could never do something like that..." Slip admitted.

"...He's busy right now. I'd rather not wait around here, and you seem friendly enough. Unless there's something weird about you that I don't know about."

Slip gulped. "Well... According to the doctors, I'm a 'ticking time-bomb on a runaway train', which I think means that I should be completely insane, but I don't seem like it, do I? I mean, I don't feel like I'm insane, I'm not- like- crazy and murderous or anything, I just have many serious mental diseases and conditions. I guess sometimes I do feel a bit crazy..." He said, trailing off.

Then, Slip blinked, realizing what he just said. "I mean-! I'm not like, a murderous psychopath or anything! Don't worry I'm not gonna like, snap or anything! I'm just saying that I could possibly be slightly insane but probably not and you know what I'm gonna stop talking now!" Slip said quickly, getting flustered.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "Yeah, I have... mental conditions. Oh yeah, and I'm a supersoldier trained since birth for combat and other roles. You might want to know that." Slip finished.

Nice going Slip, you scared one of the few people who even noticed and acknowledged your existence. A voice said in his head.

Shut up, me. Slip thought back. This was, of course, replied to by laughter from the voices.

The boy introduced himself as Tom Kovack. Slip nodded. "Nice to meet you, Tom!" He replied.

Tom said that they should start, and started up the mountain. Slip followed after him, starting the trek up the mountain. Through the Force, Slip noticed that Tom was already a little bit tired. Wait, what?! How was he already tired?! They had barely just started! And they were barely even starting! They were even going pretty slow, at least for Slip's pace.

"Are you going to be okay? We've barely just started, and you already seem tired. Are you going to be able to make it the entire 11 kilometers?" Slip asked him, having managed to catch up with Tom and walking next to him.

 

[Ura Iolar]

Ura heard a voice and quickly turned to see who it was, somewhat surprised by it. She looked as some nervousness and excitement leeched off of her. Someone she didn't know wanted to partner with her. It took a second for Ura to speak up, but she did, her voice oddly monotone compared to what the Force conveyed. "R-really? I mean... sure. It's good to meet you Seva. I'm Ura Iolar."

Ura was about to move before hearing hearing Mathieu. She looked, hearing him ask if he could come with her and Seva. "I'm ok with it if she is."

It wasn't long before she would start walking up the mountain, being sure to keep close the Seva as they would go. How's Master Starchaser get up there that fast. Ura looked over to her partner, trying to keep her pack from slipping as she did. "I'm already starting to feel a little drained. How'd he.... Better not to think about it." No comparing. Comparing would only wear her out more.

Damian Starchaser Subject 648 Slipknot Starlin Rand Seva Geroux Phalsi Drynchen Mathieu Brion Caden Evesa Darcy Delan

 

[Tom Kovack]

Subject 648 Slipknot

Tom snorted. “It’s not that hard to do, especially if you look at the other person as a potential friend rather than a potential mate.”

Slip’s babbling about insanity just made him chuckle. At the revelation that his companion was a supersoldier trained since birth, Tom looked at him with mock envy. “Well, I’m sure you’re better equipped to handle this mission than I am.” Mission…? Did this count as a mission, or was it just an ordinary day in Jedi school?

He brushed off the other boy’s concerns. “I’m sure I’ll make it. I’m just not used to this kind of exertion. Don’t worry about me.” In accordance with this assertion, Tom adjusted the position of the rucksack and started forward at a faster pace.

Around the halfway point, the pair cut through a patch of forested area. Tom rather loudly snapped a twig underfoot, cringed as though he had accidentally let slip a particularly thunderous fart, but didn’t stop walking. There was a clearing just up ahead, and he was eager to reach it…

As soon as he emerged from the woods, however, he received a bag of rocks to the head, sending him tumbling backwards into Slip.

 

[Starlin Rand]

Phalsi Drynchen

Starlin had likewise hefted his bag for use as a weapon. He let out a yelp as a figure emerged from the trees and instinctively threw it at them… realizing while the bag was en route to Tom’s head that he was about to kill the new kid on his first day. Whoops.

In a split second Starlin reached out with the Force, seizing the bag telekinetically. His reflexive use of the Force didn’t stop the rucksack from hitting Tom, but it did lessen the impact considerably. What might have been a fatal blow felt more like a rocky punch to the face.

Tom toppled over on his back while the rucksack remained floating in midair above him. Starlin tossed the bag aside and then ran over to help.

“Chit, chit, chit…” He knelt down next to Tom. “Are you okay? Can you breathe? Can you see? How many fingers am I holding up?”

Tom blinked. “Twenty?”

“Feth!” Starlin fumbled around, not actually really sure what to do in the event Tom answered wrong. “Uh, uh… How about now?”

“Six.” Tom broke into a grin. All of his teeth were mercifully intact. “I’m fine. You hit me pretty hard, schutta, but I’m just stunned.” He peeled himself up off the ground, wiping dirt and leaves off his clothes and hair. “Why’d you throw that at me, anyhow?”

Starlin groaned. “I thought you were Space Sasquatch.”

“Why, because I’m taller than you?” Tom turned to help Slip up, in the event that he had knocked the green-haired kid over as he fell.

“No, because I heard noises like a big hairy giant was lumbering through the forest, and…” The rest of the angry retort sitting on his tongue, Starlin sighed and shook his head. “Forget it. I’m sorry I threw my bag of rocks at you.” Speaking of which, several of the rocks had fallen out of his discarded rucksack. He bent to gather them up, consciously aware of Phalsi at his back watching the entire comical scene unfold.

Subject 648 Slipknot

 

[Irridia Solensis]

She was questioning everything in her life already, and they still had the majority of the slog to go.

Running wasn't so bad, but this running uphill nonsense was a bit of a problem that was only compounded by the load of rocks she'd tucked neatly into her backpack. It was, to her credit, evenly balanced and distributed, so she wasn't off balance. Remarkable how much heavier the rocks seemed to get with each klick of distance they ran.

Irri slowed slightly and did her best to moderate her breathing a bit better, trying to treat it as a marathon swim. She could swim for kilometers at a time and barely be winded, but her hybrid physiology was adapted for the water and that manner of exertion. This was different in many ways, but similar in others, so it was just a matter of figuring out how to get her body to cooperate if possible.

Caden, however, caught up to her effortlessly and she was hard-pressed to form a charitable thought for several seconds. But he was, for the moment, being nice, though she didn't expect it to last very long. Equal parts admiration and standard Corellian annoyance lit her features, and it took her a few moments to form a reply, never mind finding the spare oxygen to verbalize the words.

Holding up one of her hands, palm facing upwards, ocean blue fingertips glowing briefly as an orb of swirling water formed, floating serenely even as she kept up the pace. "Turns out...this trick isn't just from my weird water genetics. It's a Force ability. So...I came here. And it...feels weirdly right? Like, almost the way it does when I'm in the water back home. It's just...right. I know, not much of an explanation, but it's what I've got. Still mental though...so...what about you?" she said brightly, taking a bit of pride in the fact that she didn't sound as winded as she was beginning to feel.

Just like a long swim, Irri repeated at the back of her mind, using it as a mantra to try and calm herself the way she did when she was in the water.

It helped, but not as much as she'd hoped.

Force damn her thrice-cursed Corellian stubbornness.

She knew what Caden was doing, and she was hard-pressed to find the energy to spare to argue over it. Not that she would, of course. Her own stupidity got her into this contest, and she'd be damned before she gave up or admitted failure early. He started pushing the pace and she did her level best to keep up both in pace and in conversation. Flicking the orb she still held off into the trees on the side of the path they were on, Irri concentrated on not stumbling as they encountered a steeper portion of the path.

By the time the end was within sight, Caden had pulled ahead of, even running backwards at one point just to mock her as he neared the top. Utterly lacking in any decorum or finesse by that point, Irri reached out with one hand and formed a large water orb that she launched straight at his back. With luck, it would soak him in ice cold water. Eventually, she too reached the top and dropped the rucksack before collapsing to the ground, grinning like an idiot.

"My mouth...has got to stop...writing checks...my body...can't bloody cash...worst...idea ever..." she squeaked out between ragged breaths, mirth at her own misfortune lighting her features as she stared up at the sky.

--------------------------------------
Writing Soundtrack: Shinedown "Cut The Cord"
--------------------------------------
Caden Evesa | Mathieu Brion | Damian Starchaser | Subject 648 Slipknot
Starlin Rand | Seva Geroux | Phalsi Drynchen | Darcy Delan​

 

[Subject 648 Slipknot]

Tom Kovack

“It’s not that hard to do, especially if you look at the other person as a potential friend rather than a potential mate.”

"I don't do good with people in general, no matter how I look at it." Slip admitted. It was obvious he wasn't great with people, looking at Slip's awkward responses to Tom.

Tom brushed him off, saying that he would be fine. "Alright, suit yourself." Slip shrugged, keeping pace with the boy as he speed up.

They continued walking for a while. Slip looked around, taking in the sights. This was all so familiar to him, trekking up a mountain. Though usually he was alone, unless it was a group survival exercise with the other Subjects. He most definitely wasn't used to someone as physically inept as Tom, as almost all of the experiments had extreme endurance and strength..

About around the halfway mark, they passed through a forested area. Tom stepped on a twig, and for some reason flinched from the sound of it. Well that was weird, but at least he continued walking. Finally, they reached a clearing, and the moment they passed through...

Incoming

The voice came quickly, echoing through Slip's head. Suddenly, Tom got beamed in the head by... was that someone's of their pack? Whatever the case, Tom tumbled back into Slip. Slip had to make a split second decision, either dodge Tom and face whatever was attacking them, or use his body to stop Tom's tumble and prevent him from getting injured. Slip decided on the later, and let Tom tumble into him. They both got knocked to the ground, Slip tumbling back a bit. Slip looked up, he could see two people, Starlin Rand and Phalsi Drynchen , two other padawans that he had seen earlier.

Starlin ran over to Tom, making sure that he was okay and everything. Slip could hear someone laughing, and he turned his head and saw the shadow man standing nearby, bended over from laughing. Slip squinted at him. Useless bugger...

Tom turned to Slip to help him up, and Slip accepted, grabbing onto Tom's hand and pulled himself up.

“I thought you were Space Sasquatch.”

Slip's eyebrows furrowed. "Space Sasquatch?" He asked, confused.

People were weird.

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

She spied Starlin Rand moving to sling his bag and kept her own as he launched his bag at the offending noise maker. Her eyes went wide and mouth drew to a tight line as she spied the fellow that had been next to him some time ago. There was a strange mix of ignoring the urge to laugh, and trying to not fuss given the amount the friend was doing as the bag was pulled back and donned again.

"Can you make it to the top?" Phalsi directed her question to Tom Kovack before looking to Subject 648 Slipknot and then up the way. "If not, I think...a bag of rocks to the face might be a mitigating circumstance."

She silently watched Starlin pick up his rocks, still sharply biting her lip and making the occasional snorting noise to avoid outright laughing.

"There's a joke in there, somewhere about a bag of rocks...but...I can't." She was severely struggling to not laugh now, amused by the unspoken joke. "I feel bad. I-I'm sorry."

 

[Seva Geroux]

Normally, Seva would likely have found herself staring wide-eyed at Ura, but this situation was far from normal. The young noble felt foolish lugging around a pack of rocks, in a torn dress no less. But this... sand-being, Ura, seemed friendly enough.

Then, a tall shadow joined them.

Seva turned slightly to see a young man with blond hair. She squinted against the sun for a moment and gave him a once-over. Oh, no. He seemed that annoying upbeat sort – there was something in his amiable expression that told her so. Nevertheless, she didn't want to be rude.

“Seva,” she said, giving Mathieu a small nod. “Welcome to our little team, I suppose.”

As their group continued up the steep path, she tried to keep her ballet flats from sliding too much on loose patches of rock. Some of the others had rugged boots to wear, but her own wardrobe lacked such things. She had riding boots, sure, but not the kind meant for this sort of thing. Was it something she'd need to somehow acquire? She'd have to stash them deep in her closet to keep the maids from finding them and alerting her parents. They'd never approve.

“Is... this how most... Jedi training is?” Seva asked, finally, and a bit out of breath. “I dare say, I will be hesitant to join any in the future.”

Ura Iolar | Mathieu Brion​

 

[Tom Kovack]

"A rare mythical creature from folklore," Tom provided an explanation for Subject 648 Slipknot . "Also known as 'Bigfoot', it's a large ape-like humanoid that is supposed to haunt the wilderness."

"There's also a movie called Suburban Sasquatch," Starlin commented. "Terrible movie. Catchy title, though. The Bigfoot in that was in the suburbs."

"No duh," Tom muttered under his breath. To Phalsi Drynchen he replied, "I'll be fine. He didn't hit me as hard as he could have. Besides, my face has seen worse." His mind flicked momentarily back to the memory of a nightmarish creature raking ultra-sharp claws across his body, deep wounds that drew dark blood. "It's not like I have any good looks for him to maul."

Starlin groaned. "I'm really sorry. I should've recognized you in the Force."

"You just met me an hour ago. Why would you instantly recognize my Force signature?"

"Yeah, but..." Starlin flailed around for a bit trying to come up with an excuse, then gave up. "As long as you're okay..."

He was cut off as Tom abruptly took off in a sprint up the mountain, moving much faster than he ever had before. "Hey!" Starlin yelled, half in shock and half in anger. He grabbed his bag of rocks and ran after him, unleashing a string of curses that echoed through the valley.